A Sickening Crime
by name-me
Summary: A bad day for Sara turns out to be oddly beneficial for the world of crime fighting, when a trip to the hospital leads the CSI's to a killer.
1. Chapter 1

He lay there, somewhere between asleep and awake, next to the most beautiful, intelligent and addictive woman he had ever met, and his girlfriend for nearly seven months. He could hear her breathing, deep and slow. He rolled over to face her, looking at her through bleary eyes, resisting the urge to touch, not wanting to wake her. He smiled and closed his eyes, ready to fall back into a deep slumber, but apparently someone had other ideas. A shrill ring came from the phone beside his bed. He sighed and sat up to answer the call. As he had suspected, Ecklie need him to come to work early and had told him to ring the nightshift CSI on call, Sara, and get her join him. He put down the phone and rubbed his eyes. At least getting hold of Sara was easy.

"They need you at a scene?" Saras' quiet voice floated up to his ears, from where she lay, her head propped on a pillow, her eyes open only halfway. He nodded and looked at her apologetically, brushing the hair that had worked its way from her ponytail back from her face.

"You too I'm afraid." She pushed herself up in the bed, wincing as Grissom turned on his bedside lamp. "Some kids found a body in the desert."

"Could they not have waited a couple of hours?" She groaned. "What were they doing in the desert at," She looked at the clock. "5.30… Ugh now wonder I feel like I haven't slept." She sighed, falling back against the wall. Grissom chuckled. "So do you want to shower first or shall I?" She asked, rubbing her forehead, last nights' dose of Tylenol clearly having worn off.

"You go. I'll make coffee." He said, kissing the top of her head before sliding out of bed and making his way to the kitchen. With a heavy sigh, Sara also slid from under the covers, the hardwood floor cold and uninviting on her feet. She made her way to the bathroom and studied herself in the mirror above the sink. She felt tired and she certainly looked it. She grabbed a packet of Tylenol from the cupboard and swallowed two with water she cupped in her hands. With any look she would be feeling a lot more awake and a little less like her head was about to explode by the time she arrived at the scene.

* * *

"You two took your time." Brass said as the two CSI stepped out of Grissom car into the warm Nevada air, the sandy ground clouding around their feet as they walked.

"My car wouldn't start." Sighed Sara honestly. This was not necessarily a bad thing as it meant she got to spend more time alone with Grissom but today she didn't feel much like talking and the ride had been fairly quiet. "Grissom picked me up on the way over." She continued, stretching the truth just a little here. Brass shrugged, accepting the explanation and leading them over the to body, holding up the yellow crime scene tape for them pass under as he talked.

"Two teenage boys out here after school racing their bikes found him. Looks like he's been dead a couple of days. The kids said they didn't touch him. They're on the way to the station to make a statement now."

"Ok thanks Jim." Grissom said, kneeling next to the body and turning to address the coroner. "So David, do we have a TOD?"

"I'd say he's been dead for over 36 hours. He has two gun shot wounds to the chest. Can I role him?" Grissom nodded. "Only one exit wound. We'll have to extract the other bullet at autopsy." He lay the body back down and Grissom leaned in for closer look.

"There's visible GSR around the wounds so he must have been shot at close range." His eyes scanned down the body, looking for any more evidence. "What are these marks on his arm?"

"They look like defensive wounds." David speculated. "Defiantly pre-mortem."

"Ok thanks David." He said, standing and addressing Sara now. "So how do we think he got here?"

"Tyre marks." She said, pointing to the ground in both directions. "Would suggest the body was driven here, or the guy was brought here alive and then shot."

"There doesn't seem to be much blood." Grissom observed. "That would imply this isn't the primary crime scene."

"Ok, but why not drive back the way you came?" She said, pointing at the tyre marks heading away from the road and into the vast expanse of sand beyond. "Why drive off into the desert? There's no road for miles in that direction. Vehicle dump maybe?" She guessed. Grissom shrugged.

"Well when we've done here, I guess we'll be going for a little walk."

* * *

And they did walk. For over half and hour now they had been walking, following the tyre tracks in to the wilderness. It was hot and humid, the damp air clinging to their clothes and feeling heavy in their lungs. Dark clouds hung overhead, the impending storm growing closer and closer as the light began to fade. Saras headache was beginning to creep back and with it came a slight feeling of nausea, grumbling in the pit of her stomach. Her pace was slowing as the interruption to her sleep was beginning to take effect. They hadn't spoken much and Grissom was growing concerned. He kept casting careful glances in her direction, ensuring she wouldn't notice, but eventually he had to ask. "Is everything alright Sara?"

"Huh?" She stopped and looked at him. He noticed how pale her face was, her cheeks tinged pink with the heat of the air and that of her own slightly feverish body.

"You just seem…quiet."

"Oh, just a headache that's all." She said, carrying on walking. He followed her, placing a hand on the small of her back as he spoke.

"You should have said you weren't feeling well, I wouldn't have brought you out here."

"No it's fine, really." She said looking up at the sky as a distant rumble of thunder resonated through the desert. He felt her sigh as much as he heard it as she closed her eyes and looked down at the ground. "Great." She mumbled.

"We should head back." He said.

"We can't. We still haven't found anything yet. There must be something out here." She threw her arms up in frustration, gesturing to the empty sands that lay around them. They had walk for over a mile and her head was pounding. She didn't want it all to be in vane.

"We can come back later." Sara looked at him surprised by this statement. It wasn't like Grissom to leave before the job was done. Then seeing the look of concern in his eyes she realised why he was giving up.

"It's just a headache Gil." She said quietly, stepping closer to him.

"I know." He replied, running his hand lightly down her arm as another rumble of thunder echoed around them. "I'm worried about that too." He said referring to the growing storm clouds. "It'll be a long walk back in the rain." But as he said it, they felt the first drops starting to fall. He slipped his hand into hers and began to lead her back in the direction they had just come from, hoping to at least miss the worst of the storm. His hopes were soon shattered though as another low rumble signified the beginning of the down pour. They picked up the pace, their feet pounding on the hard sand but Sara couldn't keep it up for long as the pain in her head grew and she began to feel dizzy. She slowed to a walk, trying to hide her deep breathing as she lifted her hand to her head and closed her eyes, desperate for the oxygen to stop her head spinning. She didn't even realise she had stopped moving until Grissoms' hand came to her back.

"You ok?" He panted.

"Yeah I just need a second." She mumbled, her voice only just audible over the sound of the rain falling around them.

"You sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah." She took a deep breath. "Come on." She began to walk, tentatively at first but then her steps began to quicken as her head became clearer.

By the time they reached their car they were both soaked, their clothes and hair clinging to their bodies. Not caring about how wet they may make they vehicles upholstery they climbed in and turned on the heater in an attempt to dry them selves out and warm up. Sara couldn't stop shivering despite the hot air surrounding her body. She pulled down the sun shield and look in the mirror as she scraped her wet hair up into a ponytail. She was even paler than she had been earlier. Annoyed at how horrible she looked and how horrible she felt, she quickly flicked the mirror away and lent back in the seat with a sigh. Today was not turning out to be a good day.

* * *

I know it's only a short chapter but I would love to know what you think so please leave a review, it will make me very happy!


	2. Chapter 2

"What happened to you?" Greg asked as Sara walked into the locker room, still wet and still shivering.

"We were at a scene when it started raining." She sighed, opening her locker and dropping her bag inside.

"Never heard of wet weather gear Sara?" He asked jokingly. Normally she wouldn't have minded but right now she just wasn't in the mood.

"Yes Greg but the gear was in the car, a mile away from where we were on some wild goose chase in the desert. A mile is a long way to walk in the rain." She pulled out her spare clothes and slammed the door of the locker shut. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a shower." Normally rainwater wouldn't bother her but she just couldn't get warm and a shower seemed like the only solution. She pealed off her damp clothes and piled them unceremoniously on the floor before stepping under the stream of warm water. _At least this time it's not sewer water _she told herself, remembering a few shifts previously when she had managed to submerge herself in the sewers when she and Warrick were investigation a body found down there. _At least this time I don't smell quiet so disgusting, that's something to be thankful for._ She remained under the stream of water for a long time, until the shivering subsided and the room filled with steam. She emerged feeling much better and although there was still a dull ache in her head she was sure it was nothing another dose of Tylenol couldn't solve.

* * *

She returned from autopsy, her stomach still churning. She had actually felt the colour drain from her face when she had looked at the body with it's organs now exposed, and could only hope that that Doc. Robbins hadn't noticed. She lifted up the coffee pot in the break room but just the smell of it made her stomach rebel even more. With a sigh she settled instead on a glass of water, drinking the cool liquid slowly as she rested against the sink. Grissom walked past the door his head buried in a file but backed up when he caught sight of her in the corner of his eye. "You back from autopsy already?" He asked walking into the room.

"Yeah. He couldn't tell us much that we didn't already know. He recovered the bullet though from some lung tissue. 9mm, same as what we found at the scene. He's sent it down to ballistics."

"And the marks on his arms?"

"Definitely defensive wounds. Probably from the day before he was killed by the colouration."

"Good. Well at least that might give us something to work on." She nodded. "Oh here." He pulled a key from his pocket and handed it to her. "There's a replacement car in the lot for you to use until yours is fixed."

"Thanks Grissom, I could have sorted it."

"It only took a minute." She emptied her glass and placed it on the draining board. "You ok? You look a little pale"

"Yeah I'm fine." She smiled. "I better get back to work." She said walking towards the door before turning back. "Thanks for the car." She smiled again as she left, almost waling into Nick who was coming the other way down the corridor.

"Oh hey Sara." He greeted her cheerfully.

"Hey Nick."

"I just got back from ballistics and it looks like you and me might be working the same case."

"Yeah?" They began to walk towards the layout room as they talked.

"Yeah the bullets from your crime scene match the ones from my store robbery."

"Did you find a weapon?"

"No such look I'm afraid." He said, laying his files down on the table in front of them. "I have a couple of stills from the security cameras at the store though," He handed three photographs to her. "Any of these your guy?" She studied them carefully but the images were not very clear and all three men were wearing baseball caps.

"This one maybe." She said holding one of the images up to him. "Have you got any ID's?"

"This guy," He said pulling another of the images from her hand. "Was found dead in his car about half a mile from the store. His name's Jacob King, he had a record for theft. We've not been able track down the other guys yet." She nodded.

"Mind if I take a look at these?" She asked, wanting to familiarise herself with this case.

"Sure. I'm going to go and tell Grissom. Come find me when you're done." She nodded as he left and then began to flick through the file in front of her.

* * *

After half an hour of staring at the papers, the words making even less sense now than they had when she had started, Sara decided to give the files to Nick and head in search of more painkillers. She closed the file and stood up but her head began to spin and she quickly fell back in her seat, clinging tightly to the edge of the table, the file falling to the floor. She closed her eyes tightly and took a few deep breaths. When she opened her eyes again the room had stopped moving but her head was pounding even more than it had been before. "Sara?"

"Um, yeah." She didn't trust herself to move so kept her back to Nick as he walked towards her as he spoke.

"You done with that file yet?"

"Yeah I was just on my way to give it you actually." She felt his hand on her back.

"You alright?"

"Yeah." She lied still feeling very unsteady. "I just got a little dizzy. Stood up to quickly I think."

"Do you want me to get you glass of water or something?" He asked concerned, leaning closer to her so he could see her pale face.

"No it's ok, I'm alright now. I just need to get the file." She said gesturing to the floor and standing up. Nick pushed her gently back down in her seat and retrieved the file himself.

"You're sure you're ok?" He said not convinced by what she was saying at all. Little colour had returned to her cheeks and she felt warm through the fabric of her clothing, where his hand still rested protectively on her back.

"Yeah Nick I'm fine." She said running her hand through her hair and turning to face him with a slight nod.

"Ok. But just take it easy alright." He said, frowning slightly as he left her alone again. When she was sure he had left she pushed herself up from the table, more slowly this time, and made her way to the locker room. She slipped the key into the lock and reached immediately for her bag, searching for the box of Tylenol she was sure she had put in there when leaving the house that evening. It seemed that she was wrong. With a defeated sigh she dropped the bag back into her locker and closed the door, resting her head against the cool metal for a moment before turning to leave. She barely made it from the locker room when she heard Catherines voice calling her from behind. She turned to face the older woman with a fake, slightly pained smile.

"Nick tells me we're all working the same case."

"Yeah." She answered, knowing in her own head that her voice sounded a little weak. Catherine was now at her side as they walked down the corridor and turned to face her.

"You alright?" She asked frowning.

"Yeah." Sara answered with a quick nod, not turning to face the other woman as she spoke.

"Ok. Well I just got off the phone with Brass. Seems our third robber as hit another target. He matched the description of the guy on the CCT footage Archie has been analysing and the car matches the description of our eyewitness. He wasn't alone either."

"Have they brought him in?"

"Not yet but there's a call out for the car so hopefully we can track him down."

"Great. Well I'm just off to trace. We found some black and grey fibres on or victims' body; Hodges is tacking a look at them. I'll keep you posted."

"Ok thanks Sara." Said Catherine peeling off into her office as Sara continued on her way to the trace lab.

* * *

Thanks for all the reviews so far guys. Would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter too! Apologies for it being another shortie. But go on leave a review... you know you want to :)


	3. Chapter 3

"So the fibres on the body are probably from the car we found Jacob Kings body in." Nick speculated.

"It seems that way yeah." Sara nodded.

"So do we think your guy was killed first then Jacob dumped the body and was killed later?"

"I guess." She shrugged.

"Still no ID on your body?"

"Not yet but his prints are with Mandy so hopefully she can get something back." There was a knock at the door and two CSI's turned to see Catherine stood with a bag of food in her hand.

"Lunch is here." She smiled.

"Great I'm starving." Nick said, closing the file in his hand and following Catherine to the break room. "You coming Sara?"

"Yeah I'll be there in a minute. I'm just going to see how Mandy's getting on." She sighed. She really wasn't hungry but if there was even the slightest chance that food could make her feel a little better than she was right now it was worth a try. She walked into room where Mandy was working surprised by how warm the room felt.

"Sara, I was just coming to find you." Mandy smiled. "We've got a hit on your guys prints in AIFS. A James Grant. He did some time for armed robbery and drug dealing. He's only been out for a few months." She handed Sara the print out of her results.

"Ok thanks Mandy." She said looking blankly at the page in her hand, the words moving in and out of focus. She closed her eyes.

"You ok?" She snapped her eyes back open again and looked at the lab technician, flashing her a halfhearted smile.

"Yeah." She breathed, turning to leave. "Thanks for this." She said over her shoulder, waving the results in her hand grateful for the brief movement of air around her face. She walked into the break room to be greeted by Warrick, Nick and Catherine all tucking into their lunch making idle conversation about some TV show Sara had never seen.

"Here you go." Nick pushed a box of food towards her and she smiled weakly, sitting back in a chair and opening the box. "Not seen Greg around have you? His food will get cold."

"No sorry." She said picking up a fry and then dropping in back in the box. She stood up and made her way over to the sink to pour herself another glass of water, sure now that she couldn't stomach the greasy pile of fries and the burger she had been presented with.

"Any luck with those prints?" Nick addressed her again.

"Yeah. His name's…" Despite having only just been told, she couldn't remember and had to pause to look at the results she had just been given. "James Grant. He's got a record so his prints were in AIFS." She could feel Nick watching her, obviously still worried by what had happened earlier in the shift. She looked down at her food and realised that if she didn't eat, he was only going to worry more.

"Well at least that's something." He said. She nodded and slowly began to eat. The conversation continued around her but she wasn't listening, just concentrating on trying to keep her food down. The room seemed uncomfortably warm and she pulled at the fabric on the bottom of her shirt, trying to cool herself down.

"Sara?" She was aware of Warrick saying her name. "Sara?" She looked up at him, trying hard to bring his face into focus.

"Yeah?" Her throat was dry and her voice was quiet.

"What do you think?" She didn't understand.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening." She confessed, running her hand over her burning forehead. Her stomach tightened and she quickly came to her feet, her legs feeling weak and shaky beneath her. "Can you just excuse me…for a minute." She breathed, making her way unsteadily from the room, walking into Greg who was coming through the door.

"Whoa Sara." He said as her body fell against his, Saras' hand grabbing his arm in an attempt to steady herself. She gulped back the rising bile and pulled herself back from him, mumbling a brief apology as she continued on her way to the bathroom. Greg turned to the others with a look of confusion and worry on his face. "Do you think we should…"

"I'll go." Said Catherine nodding in agreement with Greg as she stood up to follow Sara, leaving the boys in a slightly stunned silence. She tentatively pushed open the bathroom door to find Sara, pale and shaking, clinging to the sink. "Sara?" She looked like she was about to be sick. Catherine placed a hand on the younger girls back, feeling how warm she was. "You ok?" Sara didn't trust herself to answer so just gently shook her head. She could feel her body swaying and held the edge of the sink tighter, her knuckles turning white. "Do you feel like you're going to be sick?" Catherine asked nervously, placing her free hand on top of Saras. She shook her head again. Truthfully, she wished she could be sick if it would stop the nausea but she knew it wasn't going to happen. There was a strange ringing in her ears and shapes danced in front of her closed eyes.

"I think I'm going to faint." She breathed. Catherine reacted instantly taking old of her elbows and leading her backwards.

"Ok sit down." She instructed, lowering Sara to the floor, resting her back against the cool wall. She took some paper towels from the disperser and rinsed them under the cold tap before quickly returning to the Saras' side and dabbing the cool towels over her forehead, trying to cool her down. Her skin was white, her eyes still closed and the weight of her head being supported by Catherine. "Sara, can you still hear me?" She felt her nod. At least she wasn't completely unconscious. "Ok good girl." She knew how patronising she must sound but she wasn't sure what else to say. She took one of Sara's hands and held it loosely in her own as she waited for her to recover. Eventually Sara forced her eyes open and lifted her head to rest it back against the wall. Some of the colour had returned to her cheeks but she was still very pale. "Ok Sara, it's ok." She breathed a sigh of relief as she brushed a strand of hair away from her clammy cheek.

"I'm sorry." Sara said, her voice almost a whisper. "I don't know what came over me."

"Sara you're burning up. Have you eaten today?" Sara shook her head weakly knowing the little she had eaten was barely worth a mention. "I'm not surprised you feel faint." She said, placing the back of her hand against Sara's forehead to check her temperature again. Sara lifted her own hand to her head, brushing against Catherine's hand as she did so. "How long have you been feeling ill honey?" Sara gulped and lifted her head to meet Catherine's concerned gaze.

"I had a headache last night but nothing much. It got worse when I was called in tonight."

"Well maybe you should go home." She said, expecting to have to fight her on this and surprised when Sara simply nodded and closed her eyes, resting her head back against the wall. "You really do feel rough don't you?" She received another weak nod in reply. "Ok come on, let's get you off this floor." She said extending her hands out to help Sara stand. "Alright?" She asked, wanting to make sure that now Sara was upright she didn't feel faint again.

"Yeah, thanks Catherine."

"Don't mention it. Come on." She led her from the bathroom in the direction of Grissom office, her hand resting on her lower back for support if she needed it. "Do you need someone to drive you home? I don't want you to pass out at the wheel."

"No, I'll be fine." She said, bringing a hand up to her pounding head.

"You sure about that?" Catherine asked. Sara nodded. "Still got that headache huh?"

"Yeah. I ran out of Tylenol about two hours ago and I just can't seem to shake it."

"You should have said something Sara. I practically have a small pharmacy in my office."

"I'll bare that in mind." She smiled as they reached Grissom's office door and Catherine gave a gentle knock.

"Come in." He called through the door.

"You ok or do you want me to stay?"

"No it's ok." Catherine gave sympathetic smile as she turned to leave. "Thanks Catherine." She added as she pushed open the door and walked into the office.

"Sara." He said looking up from his work and smiling at her, taking off his glasses. "You ok?"

"No actually. I was hoping I could head home a little early, I'm just not feeling too well." She confessed.

"I wondered how long it would take you to admit it." He said coming to his feet and walking around to the front of his desk to meet her. "Is there anything I can do?"

"No, I think I just need some rest." He nodded.

"Do you need a lift?"

"No it's ok. I already turned down Catherine so she might get a little suspicious if you drive me anyway." Grissom gave her a questioning look. Catherine would not have been the first person he would have though would offer her a lift. "I kind of… almost fainted on her just now." Concern rose in his eyes. "It's ok, Griss." She said, running a hand down his forearm. "Don't look so worried, I'm fine. Well not fine but…" She shrugged.

"Ok." He said reluctantly. "But take it easy ok." He slipped his fingers between hers.

"I will."

"And you're sure you don't want a lift."

"I'm sure." She nodded and pulled her hands from his, turning to leave.

"And let me know when you get home?"

"I will." She chuckled over her shoulder. "Bye Grissom."

"Bye Sara." He smiled as she closed his door.

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A huge thank you again for leaving your reviews. I hope the story isn't moving along too slowly?! I will update again soon. x


	4. Chapter 4

_This is silly._ Sara thought to herself as she made her way from the break room to the layout room. _It must be here somewhere_. She was frantically searching for the key to the hire car Grissom had given her earlier. Somehow she had managed to loose it, which would be bad enough if it were own car but it being a hire made it even worse. She sighed at the sight of the empty layout room table. _Not here either_. All she wanted to do was go home. Her head was still pounding and every muscle in her body ached. Defeated, she made her way back to the locker room hoping that she had just missed them when she was looking in her bag. Most of the shift seemed like a bit of a blur and quite honestly, they could be anywhere. She turned the key in the lock and opened the locker door, greeted by the smell of damp clothes. _Great._ She lent over to retrieve her bag but found herself instantly regretting it. Her stomach lurched and she stumbled back onto the bench in the middle of the room, gripping it tightly and taking deep breaths in the hope that the urge to be sick would die down. She soon realised that that wasn't going to happen and abandoning her open locker she made her way blindly to the bathroom. She could hear her own breathing and feel her heart pounding in her chest. She managed to make it to the toilet, even locking the door of the stall behind her, before the need to retch became to great and her lunch made a rather unwelcome reappearance. She slid down onto the cool floor and clung to the seat as she was sick again. She could feel tears pricking in her eyes. She never got sick, barely even a cold, and now here she was on the floor of the labs' toilets throwing up her entire stomach contents. _Where's Grissom when you need him? _She was sick twice more before she managed to pull herself away form the toilet and flush the chain. Slowly, she tried to bring herself to her feet but her legs were shaking and she started to feel light headed. She slid back down the wall to rest her body in the corner between the door and the wall, her head leaning to one side. _Maybe I should just stay here for a while, where its cool, just until my head clears…_ she closed her eyes and let the fatigue take hold, drifting off into a light sleep.

* * *

Catherine sighed. She had at last almost reached the bottom of the stack of papers that seemed to have accumulated on her desk over the past couple of shift. She flipped over the last page of the piece she was working on and let out a sharp gasp as the edge of the paper caught on the soft skin of her finger. "Dam paper cut." She mumbled, sticking the finger in her mouth and making her way to the bathroom to rinse it. She walked into the room without looking up and turned on the tap. It was only when she looked up to reach for a paper towel she caught a glimpse of the closed stall door in the mirror and what looked like a person sat on the floor inside. She walked towards the door and gave a gentle knock. "Hey, you ok in there?" There was no answer. She looked down at the figure on the floor, recognising the fabric of the jeans. "Sara is that you?" There was still no answer and Catherine was beginning to get worried. She knocked again and gave the door a push, hoping it wasn't locked. No such luck. "Sara, honey? Are you ok? Can you open the door?"

"Catherine?" She heard the girls' weak voice through the door and let out a small sigh of relief, glad at least that she was conscious.

"Yeah honey, can you open the door?" Slowly Sara came to her feet, pressing her weight against the wall as she did so. There was a clicking sound as she undid the lock and the door began to open. Catherine quickly pushed it the rest of the way to see Sara leaning against the wall with her face as pale as it had been earlier. She put hand on her arm and could feel her trembling. "What are you still doing here?" She asked concerned.

"I couldn't find my keys." She explained as she began to lower herself back to the floor. Her legs were weak and tiled floor had been keeping her cool but Catherine had hold of both her arms and wouldn't let her sit back down.

"So why are you in here?" She asked, thinking she probably already knew the answer but wanting to be sure.

"I just felt a little nauseous." Came the weak reply as Sara closed her eyes. Catherine frowned thinking that "a little nauseous" was most probably an understatement.

"Have you been sick?" Sara nodded. "Do you feel like you want to be sick again?"

"Probably." She mumbled. "Defiantly, if I don't sit down."

"Ok." She said moving one hand to Sara's back so as to support more of her weight. "Come on lets get you home." Sara didn't have the energy to argue at that moment and waited until Catherine had taken her to her office and sat her down before she spoke.

"You don't have to do this."

"I know. But there is no way you drive yourself home and this case is pretty much at a stand still until we manage to track down the suspect. I'm sure I can be spared for the last couple of hours of the shift." She looked up from her desk and over to Sara who was leaning back on the sofa, her eyes closed. She smiled slightly at her. She picked up her coat and bag and knelt in front of Sara, placing a hand on her forehead. "You still have a fever." She said, receiving only and incoherent mumble as a response. "I should just have taken you home earlier." This time she got no response at all. "Hey Sara, come on don't fall asleep just yet." She said standing back up and taking hold of one of Sara's hands.

"I wont." She mumbled, making Catherine smile at her again. She shook her hand gently.

"Come on. Lets get you out to the car and home ok. Then you can sleep all you want." She pulled her to her feet and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"It's ok Cath, you don't have to carry me." She said, swaying slightly in her friends' arms.

"You sure about that?" She said sarcastically, tightening her grip on the taller woman's waist.

"No." Sara admitted as she began to drag her feet in the direction of the locker room to collect her bag. Saras' steps became more assertive and Catherine moved her hand from her waist to her elbow, not wanting to arose suspicion or cause anyone alarm as they made way through the corridor. They were half way there when Nick called her from behind.

"Hey Sara?" He ran up behind them as the two women turned. "I didn't think you would still be…" His words were cut short when he noticed the marked pallor of her skin. "Are you alright? You look awful." He said, his hand brushing against her arm.

"Thanks Nick." She smiled.

"Really Sara, are you ok to be driving?" He brought his hand to her forehead but she pulled away.

"Ugh will everyone stop doing that." She groaned, closing her eyes. Catherine smiled again.

"Don't worry Nick I'm taking her. We just need to find Grissom."

"I think he's in his office." Catherine nodded. "Oh here." He said, holding out a car key to Sara. "I found this on the floor of the layout room. Grissom said it was yours." She didn't really hear what he had said as the feeling of nausea was creeping back through her body. She lifted the back of the hand to her mouth and pulled away from Catherine. "Sara?"

"I'm going to sick." She mumbled. Catherine immediately took hold of her again and steered her on the direction of the bathroom as she began to gag. Nick could only watch, worry etched in his features. Sara just made it to the toilet before falling to her knees and emptying what little was left in her stomach. When that was gone she continued to retch as Catherine rubbed soothing circles along her back.

"It's alright Sara, just relax." She said, her tone gentle and mothering. Getting her home was not going to be as easy as she had hoped.

* * *

He had already phoned Catherine but she sounded very flustered, saying something about Sara not being well and telling him to call Nick, so that's what he was doing. He waited patiently while the dial tone sounded.

"Stokes."

"Hey Nick, got some news for you on your missing car."

"Good news I hope." He said, feeling sure that given the way the rest of the night seemed to be turning out it wouldn't be.

"Well, the car was registered as stolen five days ago so we're not going to get an ID from the licence of the car, but we've just had a call about a vehicle matching it's description being abandoned off strip. You want to come down and take a look?"

"Sure, maybe we can lift some prints, get an ID that way." Nick said, standing up and pouring the rest of his coffee down the sink. At least it was something, which was considerably better than the nothing they had at the moment. "Give me the location and I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Great. Hey uh Nick, is Sara alright?" He asked tentatively.

"Well if puking your guts up and trying to pass out is alright then yeah, she's fine." He said as he started to gather his things to leave for the scene,

"That bad huh?"

"Yeah well Catherine's taken home, I'm sure it's just a virus or something." He said flippantly, trying to hide his concern for his friend because honestly, she had looked truly awful when he had seen her earlier. "She's a big girl, knowing Sara she'll be back at work by tomorrow night."

"I don't doubt it." Brass sighed.

* * *

Thanks for all the support you have given me with this story so far. I promise I won't keep you in suspense for too much longer! Love to hear what you think of this latest chapter. As always, I will try and update soon. x


	5. Chapter 5

When Sara had finally stopped being sick Catherine bundled her into her car with the minimal of objection and fuss, getting Nick to tell Grissom that she was taking Sara home. She had given her a couple of evidence bags in case she managed to find anything else to throw up, but thankfully she hadn't needed to use them. The motion of the car had made Sara drift off to sleep and it wasn't until they had arrived at her apartment block and she felt Catherine gently shaking her arm that she woke again.

"Catherine?" She mumbled, slightly confused as to where she was.

"Yeah, time to wake up, you're home." It all came flooding back and she groaned in embarrassment as she slowly stepped down from the vehicle and closed the door.

"Feeling any better?" Catherine asked, placing a hand on Sara back and ushering her towards the building.

"Not really." She admitted.

"Well maybe you will when the fever goes down." Catherine said encouragingly.

"I hope so." She groaned, pulling the front door key from her bag. "I really hate this." She could feel her hand shaking as she tried to aim the key at the lock. She missed and hit the metal surround several times, becoming more and more frustrated with her own weakness.

"Here let me." Catherine took hold of her wrist and helped her unlock the door.

"Thanks." She smiled shyly at her as she led her into her apartment.

"Why don't you sit down and I'll get you a glass of water." Suggested Catherine. Sara nodded weakly and sat on a stool at the breakfast bar, her head resting in her hand. "Do you have Tylenol?"

"It's in the bathroom." She said. "But don't worry I can get it." She started to stand up but Catherine pushed her back down, placing a glass of water in front of her.

"You just stay there." The made her way to the bathroom and quickly returned with a packet of Tylenol. "Do you have a thermometer?" She asked. Sara shook her head as she put two tablets in her mouth and swallowed them with some of her water. Catherine's hand made it's way to her forehead, trying again to judge her temperature.

"That could get really annoying you know." Sara mumbled as Catherine's face grew concerned again.

"I know I'm sorry." She apologised. "Do you want to go lie down?" Sara nodded and stood up, taking hold of the Tylenol and the glass of water. "I'll take those." Catherine said quickly, taking them from Sara's hands. "You just concentrate on not falling over."

"I'm not that sick." She said defensively.

"Yeah well you look it." Sara looked slightly offended. "Sorry." She apologised as they started to walk towards the bedroom. "But really Sara you're not well. Are you going to be ok here?" Sara sat on the edge of the bed and nodded but she looked slightly uncertain. "It's ok to admit it if you're not up to being by yourself. It's not like you get ill that often."

"I know." She mumbled. "And thanks but I'm ok. I just need to get some sleep."

"Ok, if you're sure." She said squeezing Sara's shoulder.

"I am." She nodded. "Thanks Catherine." She tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.

"I better let you get some sleep. Is there anything else you need?"

"No I don't think so."

"Ok then. Give me a call if you change your mind."

"I will." She smiled gratefully.

"Sleep well, and feel better ok." And with that she left Sara to get some much-needed sleep.

* * *

Grissom arrived at Sara's apartment a couple of hours later to find it still quiet and dark. He gently pushed open her bedroom door and his eyes fell to her sleeping figure. He smiled at how peaceful she looked and pulled the door closed again so as not to disturb her as he unloaded the groceries and other supplies he had brought for her. He had just poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down on the sofa when he heard the shuffling of feet coming into the room.

"You're up." He said, standing back up and smiling at her. "How are you feeling?"

"Cold. Tired. Achy." She said rubbing her still throbbing head.

"Nick said you weren't looking too good earlier." He said walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her.

"I think that might be an understatement." She mumbled into his chest. He kissed the top of her head.

"Can I get you anything?" She shook her head. "Come on lets sit down and get you warmed up." He led her over to the sofa and pulled the blanket off the back of it, wrapping it around her. "Do you want some tea?"

"I don't want to put anything in me that I can bring back up again." She groaned, curling up into a tighter ball.

"I know, but if you don't drink you'll become dehydrated." He reasoned with her.

"Fine. But you can clean it up." She sighed. He felt so awful for her. She really did look ill. He returned to her with a mug of warm tea and sat beside her, pulling her close.

"I might be contagious." She said, opening her eyes only long enough to take the mug from him.

"Then we can be sick together." He said.

"Well that's romantic." She said sarcastically, pursing her lips.

"Hey I told you I wasn't very good at all this." He said, leaning in to place a soft kiss on her forehead. They sat there silently for a while as Sara enjoyed the renewed feeling of warmth. "I'm sorry for dragging you around the desert in the rain. That can't have made this any better."

"No it's my fault. I should have said something." She replied quietly, taking a sip of her tea.

"Feeling any warmer?"

"Much, thank you." She smiled. They were quiet again for a while. Sara drank little over half her tea before it started to get cold and she could feel herself getting uncomfortable and too hot. She started to shrug off the blanket.

"You ok?" Grissom asked concerned, noticing her cheeks had become flushed and taking the mug from her to stop her from spilling the remaining contents.

"I think I might go lie down again for a while." She said as he helped her to remove the blanket.

"What's wrong? Do you feel sick again?"

"No. Well yes… a little…maybe." She fell back against the sofa. "Ugh I don't know. This is so horrible."

"Come on let's get you bed." He said, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her up. They made it barely half way before Sara spoke, the colour draining completely from her face.

"Ok now feel sick." He steered her towards the bathroom and slowly lowered her to the floor. She held tightly to the edge of the toilet taking deep, shaky breaths.

"It's alright Sara honey, I'm here. Just relax." She could feel the bile rising in her throat and coughed at the bitter taste.

"Gil…" She breathed as her body tensed and she started retching.

"I know. It's ok." He pulled the hair away from her face as she continued to bring up the watery contents of her stomach. When she was sure she had finished, she lent back against Grissom's body, willing herself to stop shaking.

"Do you want me to get you a glass of water?"

"I just want my bed." She mumbled. The room began to spin as Grissom pulled her to her feet and she thought for a moment that she might pass out in his arms. He felt her body swaying against him and held her tighter as he led her back to her bed, laying her down and covering her with the sheets. He disappeared back into the bathroom and returned a minute later with a damp cloth. "That's nice." She muttered as he pressed it against her forehead.

"Do you think you can keep down some Tylenol?" He asked. She only nodded in response. "Ok, can you sit up for me?" He helped her to sit up and handed her two pills and a glass of water, keeping one hand on the glass to steady it as she brought it to her lips. "Now get some rest." He said as she lay back down and he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

* * *

She knew her constant fidgeting and awakening must be annoying Grissom as he tried to sleep as every time she woke up she found him already awake beside her. He, however, insisted he didn't mind and took each of these opportunities to ensure that she drank more water and even offered food, which she had flatly refused. When her burning body and pounding head brought Sara out of her slumber for the fifth time, she noticed it was almost time to get ready for the next shift.

"Is it ok if I take the night off?" She mumbled as he settled her back down in the bed after giving her more Tylenol.

"It's more than ok." He smiled rolling his eyes. "In fact I insist."

"I always knew my boss was a soft touch." She sighed, closing her eyes and pulling the blankets up higher around her neck. He chucked.

"Do you want me to stay home?"

"No it's ok." She yawned. "I'm fine." Even with her eyes closed she could tell he was frowning. "I mean I'll live. It's just a stomach bug." She peaked her eyes open at him and saw his concern. "Really Gil I just need to sleep it off." She rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes again.

"If you're sure." She mumbled some incoherent answer and nodded her head. "Ok. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything." He said as he slid off the bed and pulled on his robe to set about making some food before work. Sara quickly drifted back of to sleep but woke twenty minutes later to find Grissom was still in the kitchen. She pushed herself up in the bed and reached out for her glass of water. It was almost empty and what little was left in it was warm. She pushed away the bed sheets and slowly made her way to the bathroom to refill the glass not wanting Grissom to make a fuss if she went to the kitchen. By the time she reached her destination her head was spinning and she found herself feeling very disorientated. She did not feel her grip loosen on the glass but heard it shatter as it hit the tiled floor. She followed it down and reached out a hand to pickup the glistening shards but instead fell forward, one of the pieces slicing through the skin on the palm of her hand. Grissom, who had heard the glass breaking, suddenly appeared at her side and pulled her up, slowly backing her away from the mess of glass and water and blood. She felt weak and dizzy as he seated her on the closed toilet lid and pressed a wad of toilet roll to her wound to try and stop the bleeding. "I'm going to go and get the first aid kit from the car ok honey." He said, brushing his hand down her burning cheek. She look confused and he wanted to make sure she knew where he was going, so when she didn't answer he tried again. "Sara, I'll be back in just a minute…" His words were cut short.

"I feel sick."

"Ok." He said gently. He was sure she couldn't cope with try and stand up so picked up the bin from beside them and held it for her as she began retching, but couldn't bring anything up.

"I'm sorry." She said, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"It's ok honey, don't get upset." He gently pulled away the bloodstained tissue from her hand and replaced it with a clean one. "Do you want to lie down?" She sniffed back her tears and nodded weakly, letting her weight fall against him as he led her back to bed. He left to retrieve the first aid kit and quickly returned to find his phone was ringing on the coffee table. It was Catherine. He answered it as he continued on his way to the bedroom.

"Gil, I'm sorry to call you in early, I know you had a long shift last night, but I could use some help."

"I can't." He said simply, kneeling in front of Sara and placing a hand on her arm, indicating for her to hold out her injured hand.

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I err, I came round to check on Sara and she's not doing so well. I, err, I think I should stay here for a while."

"What's wrong with her? Has she gotten worse?" She asked concerned, feeling slightly guilty for leaving her. He pulled back the tissues and looked at Sara's hand, wincing at the deep wound and quickly pushing the dressing back down.

"I err, I think she might need to see a doctor." He said, not wanting to give too much away.

"That bad?" Sara tried to sit up, feeling another wave of nausea wash over her. He helped her as best he could with one hand but before she could stand up she was retching again, still bringing nothing up. "Grissom?" Catherine asked when he didn't say anything.

"Look Catherine, I've to go. I'll call you later." He hung up and turned his full attentions back to Sara, whose' pale skin was once again flushed with fever.

"I don't want to go to hospital." She mumbled as he laid her back down so he could look at her hand without having to hold her up right.

"I know, but this cut is pretty deep. I think you might need stitches." He told her. She gasped as he ran an antiseptic wipe over the wound sending a sharp pain up her arm.

"Can't you fix it? I just want to stay in bed, I don't feel well." She groaned as he pressed a cotton pad to her injury and began to run a bandage around her hand to hold it in place.

"Another reason to go to the hospital." He said, tying the bandage in a rough knot, hoping it would hold. "And besides, I'm not that kind of doctor." He went over to her wardrobe and pulled out a loose sweatshirt and a pair of shoes for her to wear and then helped her to put then on, glad, if not slightly concerned, that she had stopped fighting him on this. She was weak and feverish and he couldn't help but feel like her now being injured was his fault. _I should never have left her. _At least now he could help and he had no intention of leaving her again.

* * *

Once again a huge thank you for your reviews. They really are appreciated. I'm not great at writing long chapters but I have tried to make this one a bit longer, so I hope you all like it. I promise you will find out what's going on in the next chapter I post!

Please keep reading and reviewing :)


	6. Chapter 6

"Ok Miss Sidle, now we've got your hand sorted, I'd like to give a quick exam, just to check that this 'stomach bug' is nothing too serious." The doctor said, smiling and removing his gloves. Sara was sat on bed surrounded by a pale green curtain which gave the whole room a strange green glow. Grissom stood by her side, his hand resting on her thigh.

"That's really not necessary." Sara protested. The doctor looked at Grissom for some assistance.

"Sara I know you don't want to be here but since you are, don't you think you should make the most of it?" She leaned sideways and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Fine." She didn't have the energy to argue with two of them.

"Ok then." The doctor smiled, his voice far to upbeat for Sara's liking. "I'll start by taking your temperature, then I'll have a listen to your breathing and check your blood pressure. You said you've been experiencing some dizziness?" He continued to talk as he set about his examination.

"Yeah." Se groaned, trying hard to fight the nausea that was creeping back thorugh her.

"She fainted at work." Grissom cut in warranting an annoyed glare from Sara.

"It's possible your blood pressure is a little low." The doctor explained as he placed the pressure monitor over her arm.

"It's not normally low." Sara winced as the cuff tightened and the vessels in her arm began to throb.

"Well it is today." Sara sighed, as Grissom took hold of her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"And you have a temperature of 102.5." The doctor said, placing down the thermometer and picking up his stethoscope. "How long have you been having these symptoms?"

"Since yesterday…morning." She said.

"I'm just going to lift up your shirt." The doctor explained before Sara continued.

"It was just a headache and I felt a bit stiff but…"

"How long have you had this rash?" The doctor asked, cutting her short.

"What rash?" She asked sleepily. Worry shot across Girssom's face and he leaned over to see dozens of small red marks on her back.

"You said you were feeling stiff? Where exactly?" The doctor continued to asked, looking worried but slightly intrigued at the same time.

"My legs mostly." The doctor nodded and let Sara's t-shirt fall back into place. "Any chance I can lay down for a while? My head is killing me." She groaned.

"Of course. I'm just going to consult with a colleague and I would like to run some blood work on you if that's ok?"

"You want my blood?" She asked as Grissom helped her to settle on the hard bed.

"Yes, I'd like to see if we can isolate what's causing your illness."

"Do you have something in mind?" Grissom enquired.

"Possibly. But I'd like to wait for any results to come back before I speculate too much." With that he left them to gather what he needed to take a blood sample and to speak to his colleague about his newest patient and a very strange coincidence.

* * *

"You know this the forth dead guy this week with a record." Said Mandy as she handed Catherine the results of her finger print analysis.

"Yeah." She said, her tone full of contemplation. "Can you pull up the records on the other two gunshot victims?"

"Sure." Mandy quickly set about finding the information on the gunshot victims Sara and Nick were working on. Catherine leaned in, studying the information trying to find any links between them.

"The prison sentences of all these guys overlap. Maybe they met inside, decided to form an alliance. They were certainly all killed by the same gun."

"Maybe." Mandy agreed.

"Ok thanks Mandy." She said, hurrying off to find Nick.

* * *

Several hours later and Sara and Grissom were still waiting for the results. He had left her only once, to call Catherine and update her on the situation. They had hooked Sara up to an IV drip in light of her being slightly dehydrated and she was now sleeping soundly, Grissom's fingers laced in hers. Grissom was now himself feeling physically sick with worry and was not sure he had ever been so relieved to see anyone as when the doctor finally returned with the results in his hand.

"Mr. Grissom. We have the results of Miss. Sidles tests back."

"Sara." He shook her gently, reluctant to wake her when she seemed for peaceful but knowing she needed to hear this too. She groaned and opened her eyes. "Honey, your test results are back." He explained when she looked rather annoyed at the interruption to her sleep. She rolled over and he helped her to sit up while the doctor patiently waited for her to get comfortable.

"Your blood works that you have a condition known as Leptospirosis…"

"Leptospirosis? But don't you catch from being in contact with…" Grissom started.

"The sewers." Sara groaned. The doctor and Grissom both looked confused so she continued. "I was down there on a case a few days ago. I got my foot caught on something under the water and a fell. I was soaked, Warrick had to pull me out."

"Well if you ingested any of the water then that that's most likely how the bacteria got into your system." The doctor agreed. Grissom felt a sudden wave of guilt well inside him. He had assigned them to that case so it was he that had exposed Sara to this.

"You said there was someone else there with you?" The doctor enquired.

"Yeah my colleague, but he's not sick."

"Well there is a good chance that if he isn't ill by now he is free of the disease but you might be advised to tell him about the potential risk, alert him to the symptoms." Grissom nodded.

"I'll give him a call." The doctor nodded and continued.

"Ok well the good news is, you have come to us early. That cut on your hand might have saved you from a much more serious form of the disease." He smiled. "We can put you on a course of antibiotics to clear the infection and you should make a full recovery in a couple of weeks."

"Thank you doctor." Sara sighed relieved. The doctor walked over to Sara's side and began to check the IV.

"You know we might not have even picked up on this but we had a patient just a couple of days ago with the same symptoms."

"Really?" Grissom sounded intrigued.

"Yeah. Strange isn't it." Satisfied, the doctor left Sara's side and headed for the door. "I'll be back shortly with your medication. If you have any other questions…"

"No I don't think so. Thanks." The doctor nodded and left the couple alone again. Grissom was silent for a moment, his expression one Sara recognised from when he had just had some revelation about a case.

"What?" She asked, wanting to know what he was thinking.

"The case you were working, the victim was an ex-con right?"

"Yeah. He err, served time for burglary I think." She said slowly, trying to drag up the case through the dull pain in her head. Really she just wanted to sleep.

"Well what if the other patient is the guy who put the body down there?"

"I don't know Gil, I mean he could have got it from anywhere. It could just be a coincidence."

"You don't really believe that?" He frowned. Sara simply shrugged, not sure she was capable of making decisions about anything, let alone a case right now. "Catherine said they have another body, another ex-con. That's four bodies in the space of a week, all criminals."

"Ok maybe." She said with a sigh, closing her eyes. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand.

"I'm sorry honey, I should be letting you rest."

"It's ok." She mumbled, rolling on to her side so she was facing him. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and brushed her cheek with his thumb. She still felt warm.

"You just concentrate on feeling better." She nodded against his hand as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I know, I know, I reverted back to the short chapters but at least you know what's wrong now! I hope you are still enjoying the story. Please let me know! x


	7. Chapter 7

She still felt warm and uncomfortable and although the dizziness for the most part had subsided she still felt nauseous. She had protested when Grissom had settled her on the sofa so he could clean up the mess in the bathroom and change her bed sheets, but honestly, she was glad he was doing it. She didn't have the energy.

"How about I make us some dinner?" Grissom said cheerfully as he breezed into the room, his other chores completed. She shook her head.

"No, no food."

"I know you don't feel well honey but you haven't eaten since yesterday." He said sympathetically, standing behind her and massaging her shoulders. "How about you just try some toast?"

"I really don't want to be sick again." She protested for a second time.

"You need to eat Sara." She sighed, knowing he was right.

"Ok, toast would be great." She said, trying to sound thankful but no entirely succeeding. She watched him quietly as he set about making the toast in his usual meticulous manner. Despite the fact that they had been together for months, the sight of him in her kitchen still made her smile.

"Here." He said, handing her a plate. "How's the hand feeling?" He asked, sitting next to her on the sofa.

"Ok thanks." She said, picking up a slice of toast and eyeing it cautiously before putting it back down. "Weren't you going to call Catherine?"

"Nice try," He said smiling at her. "But you don't get away that easily. Eat up."

"What did you think I was going to do? Get you occupied on the phone and then throw this away?" She asked innocently.

"I wouldn't put it past you." He smiled, leaning over to kiss her forehead before standing up to retrieve his phone. He sat himself down at the breakfast bar, facing the living room, and flipped open his phone. "You don't have to eat all of it. Just try." He found Catherine's number and listened to the dial tone as Sara reluctantly began to eat.

"Hey Gil. How's Sara doing?" Answered Catherine.

"She'll be fine. The doctor aid she had contracted Listeriosis, most likely from working that case in the sewers the other night."

"Poor girl that's horrible. Have they kept her in the hospital?"

"No, I've just brought her home. We caught it early so there shouldn't be any long-term effects."

"Well that's a relief." She sighed. She had heard of people dying form the complications of Listeriosis but thankfully Sara had been lucky.

"Yes it is." He looked over to Sara and smiled. _It's more of relief than you can ever imagine_. He cleared his throat before changing the subject. "While we were at the hospital, we were told of another patient with the same condition. He fell ill just a couple of days before Sara, meaning he must have been exposed to the bacteria around the time the body was dumped in the sewers."

"So you think that might be our guy?"

"Well it just seems like a bit of a strange coincidence to me."

"You know he was ex-con too. What if this case is linked to the others?"

"Were any bullets recovered from the body?" She asked curiously. There were none that matched the other victims but if it was a through-and-through the chances of bullets being recovered in a sewer were minimal to say the least.

"I'm not sure. Ask Warrick he worked the case with Sara."

"Ok well I'll see what I can do. Give our love to Sara."

"I will. Bye Cath." He hung up the phone and returned to his seat next to Sara.

"I'm not so sure this toast was a good idea." She said, setting the half empty plate down on the coffee table, the movement only serving to make her stomach churn even more. "Don't you need to be getting ready for your shift?" She asked as he pulled her close to him so her head rested on his shoulder. "If all these cases are connected then we're looking at a serial. They're going to need you."

"Don't you worry about that now." He said gently. "I'll tell Catherine you still need me here. She can ring me if anything comes up." She nodded and pulled herself away from him standing rather unsteadily and heading towards the bathroom. He stood up too and hesitated for a moment before following her, shaking his head and sighing. He hated to see her like this. She was already retching by the time he was at her side.

"Sara, I'm so sorry about all of this. I wish there was more I could do." He said as he rubbed circles along her back in the hope of making her relax a little.

"I just wish it would stop." She groaned as she lent back against him. "You don't have to stay with me you know. I'm a big girl, I can look after myself." She lurched forward and was sick again. He waited until she was finished before he spoke.

"Sara you haven't eaten in days and you still can't keep anything down." Right on cue she started to throw up again.

"You could be anywhere else but here with me right now. Don't try and tell me you wouldn't rather be at work." She sighed, her energy quickly fading.

"You're sick and you're injured." He said gently lifting her bandaged hand up in his. "I'm not leaving you."

"But the case…" She breathed, closing her eyes and leaning back against him.

"That doesn't matter right now. But you do Sara." He felt her relax more against him as he spoke. "I love you so much." He whispered.

"Even when I'm throwing up?"

"Even then." She smiled. They sat there for a while, until Grissom, his arms wrapped protectively around Sara, felt her body finally stop trembling. "Let's get you to bed." He pulled her to her feet with only minimal effort but as he started to walk she didn't move. "You ok?" She shook her head.

"A little light headed." She confessed weakly. "I just need a second…" He held her tighter while he waited for her head to clear.

"Urgh I'm such a mess." She groaned, lifting a trembling hand to her forehead.

"You'll feel better soon." He told her, hoping he was right.

* * *

"So I pulled all our open cases where the victims have had a criminal record." Said Warrick placing two piles of folders in front of Nick and Catherine. "There are at least three cases which could defiantly be linked, one of which is the case me and Sara worked in the sewers." He gestured to wards the larger of the two piles. "These case may be linked. All the victims were shot but the bullet aren't a match to those in the recent crimes. Could be the same guy though just with a different gun."

"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us." Nick sighed as Catherine's phone began to ring. The two men looked at her expectantly as she answered.

"Hey Brass, you got some good news for me."

"Yeah, the finger prints Nick lifted from the car have been enough to get us a warrant and access to the medical records. Apparently the guy's still in the hospital so I'm on my way over there now. I'll give you call when I'm done."

"That's great, thanks Jim." She hung up with a smile. "We have our warrant."

"So if we can prove this guy was locked up at the same time as all our victims that gives us a pretty good link." Nick nodded.

"Yeah, and hopefully some kind of motive." Warrick added picking up a file from the top of the stack. "Well let's see if we can't pin anything else on this guy."

* * *

The first time they both ignored it, the second time they both sighed, clinging to a vague hope that it might stop. By the third round of knocking, Grissom was on his feet and reluctantly answering the door.

"Grissom?" The younger CSI seemed a little shocked to see his supervisor still in Sara's home.

"Yes Greg." He said in his usual authoritative tone.

"I came to see Sara." He explained. "I thought she might need some cheering up." Grissom nodded but didn't move from his position in the doorway. Greg peer around his shoulders as he spoke. "So can I come in?" He asked. Grissom frowned at the idea of Greg invading but realised he had no real right to stop him coming in so nodded and stepped aside, closing the door behind Greg as he entered.

"Hey Sara how you feeling?" He said walking towards the sofa where she was curled in a ball under a blanket.

"Greg." She sat up and smiled at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I would stop by after the shift and see how you were holding up. Offer my services if they were required but I see you already have that covered." He said smiling at Grissom who was still stood anxiously in the entrance. He sat down next to her as he continued to talk. "Are you feeling any better?"

"A little." She sighed. "I just wish the headache would go away so I can start to feel a bit more human. Every time I move it hurts even more." She said, obviously frustrated. Greg nodded sympathetically and found his eyes falling to her bandaged hand for the first time.

"What happened there?"

"Oh," She shrugged feeling a little embarrassed by her weakness. "I had a bit of an accident. It's fine now." He nodded again. "Can I get you anything? Coffee?" She offered.

"Sure. But you really shouldn't…"

"Let me get that." Grissom said, hurrying to the kitchen, glad to have something to do.

"Well I hear you have been leading us to the bad guys despite being on your sick bed." Greg said. "Only you could manage that." He chuckled.

"Yeah well you know me, a true workaholic." She smiled. "Any leads on the case?"

"Brass has been down to the hospital but the guy's not well enough to give a statement yet. We've found a few others cases that we can link to him too. Seems like he has got some kind of gang organised with ex-cons he met in prison, appears to just kill off the ones who get on the wrong side of him." He stopped talking as Grissom arrived at the sofa with two mugs. He handed the first to Greg and then turned to Sara, offering her the second.

"You don't have to drink it all. Just try ok." She slowly took the tea and smiled at him. He went to retrieve his own drink then joined the others back in the living room.

"You said there were several linked cases?"

"The ballistics of four cases match up and the bodies Warrick and Sara worked in the sewer and one from a couple of weeks ago both have bullet wounds consistent with a 9mm." Greg explained. "All the victims were in prison over the period that James Matthews, the guy in the hospital, was in so he's tied to them all."

"Do we have anything strong enough to get a conviction?" Grissom asked.

"Warrick's at his house now. As far as I know we haven't recovered anything too probative just yet, apart from his prints in the car and the… illness, but I'm sure something will show up." Grissom nodded and looked over to Sara. Her eyes were closed.

"Sara, are you ok honey?" He asked, his concern over shadowing Gregs presence. She nodded but didn't open her eyes.

"You look tired Sara, maybe I should go." Greg offered, beginning to feel as though he was intruding on something. _Honey. _It seemed to Greg like a strange sentiment coming from Grissom.

"No it's ok." She mumbled. "Finnish your coffee, keep…talking, I'm fine." Greg smiled and placing his own mug on the coffee table, reached over to pry hers from her hand.

"We don't want a burn to add to your list of problems." He explained when she opened her eyes slightly to glare at him. She smiled and leaned back against the sofa.

"It's not a list." She objected with a yawn.

"No ok it's not a list." Greg smiled. "But I still think you need to sleep." He stood up to leave and pulled the blanket back over her. "I'll see you soon Sara. Get some rest."

"Umm, bye Greg." She mumbled sleepily, pulling the blanket closer around her. Grissom led Greg to the door and held it open.

"She'll be glad you dropped by." Grissom said, feeling a little awkward.

"Hey, what are friends for?" He was about to leave but turned back. "Take care of Grissom." He said, his voice full of earnest. Grissom simply nodded as he watched Greg walk away. He knew how much Sara meant to everyone, even to Catherine despite their differences, but especially to Greg. He had every intention of taking care of her, for as long as she needed it and for as long as she would let him.

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Yet another huge thank you for your reviews. They really do mean a lot and the response to this story has been great! I hope you like this latest chapter. Only one more to go I think...


	8. Chapter 8

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Hi. First of all a huge apology for taking so long to post this last chapter but life just got in the way a bit for a while!!! I hope you like the end of the story and thanks for all the reviews you have given for all the previous chapters. So here you go, the final chapter... soory if it's a bit lame!

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The night after Greg had visited, Sara insisted Grissom go back to work and was not going to take no for an answer. He had taken three nights off to take care of her, and she truly appreciated it, but people would soon start asking questions and besides, the team needed their supervisor. Grissom for his part had of course ensured she showered, ate (admittedly only a little) and could make it from the bedroom to the kitchen and back without either throwing up or passing out. When she had proven herself capable of all these things he had finally relented and returned to work. And now as she walked through the halls of the Las Vegas police department station, nine days after her trip to the hospital, she found a strange sense of relief washing over her. Maybe it was because she was finally out of the house after over a week of recovery or maybe it because now she knew that it had all been worth it- they were going to get their suspect and lock him away for a long time.

"Sara?" Nicks familiar southern accent swept through her, forcing her lips into a smile as she turned to greet him.

"Hi."

"Hey girl." Warrick said, rubbing his hand down her arm. "We weren't expecting to see you here."

"Yeah Sara, how you feeling?" Nick said, wrapping his arms around her and giving he a gentle squeeze.

"Much better thanks." She smiled. "Not that it would be hard to feel much better than I did. I don't recommend going for a swim in the sewers anytime soon." This warranted a chuckle from both men.

"Yeah Sara about that…" She sensed from his tone that Warrick was about to make some rambling apology and cut him off.

"Warrick don't. It's my fault for being so clumsy." He smiled.

"I still feel like this whole thing is partly my fault."

"Well don't." She said again smiling. "Please."

"Ok, but only because you're being so polite about it." She smiled at him as he gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze.

"So what are you doing here?" Nick asked curiously. "Does Grissom know?" He added, leaning in and lowering his voice.

"Yes he knows." She laughed. "I was bored out of my mind sitting at home so I thought I would come and see you guys nail our suspect."

"Well we best not keep you waiting. Come on Nicky my boy let's get this show on the road." Warrick said, continuing on his way to the interrogation room.

"I'm glad your feeling better Sara." Nick called as he followed his friend down the corridor. "I'll catch you when we're done in here alright?"

"Yeah, sure thing." She said as she made her own way to the room behind the one-way mirror, eager to watch her friends at work.

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"You know my doctor said I should be resting, this is not resting." James Matthews protested as he sat opposite captain Brass in the interrogation room. "You want to tell me what I'm doing here anyway?" He asked as Warrick and Nick walked in.

"I'll answer that for you." Nick said, pulling out a chair and sitting next to Brass. "All these guys," He said laying out the photos of all their victims as he spoke. "Are all dead."

"And?" The suspect leaned back in his char and crossed his arms.

"And we think you did it." Nick continued, mimicking the other mans pose.

"Well you think wrong."

"You sure about that?" Nick aid, sitting back up in his seat again. "It's just that you were in prison at the same time as everyone of our dead guys."

"I was in prison with a lot of guys. So what if some of them are dead?" He shrugged.

"So your saying you had nothing to do with this?" Warrick prompted.

"Yeah, I'm saying I had nothing to do with this." His voice was more threatening and aggravated now.

"Ok then Mr. Matthews, do you fancy telling us how you ended up in hospital?" Brass asked calmly.

"Why? What's that got to do with you?" He said sitting up right now.

"We were just wondering." Brass shrugged, looking over to Nick and Warrick.

"Well don't."

"Been in contact with any dirty water lately Mr. Matthews? A sewers maybe?" He shrugged. "It's just that we believe you got ill while you were dumping the body of one of your victim in the sewers. This victim here." Nick said pushing one of the photographs to wards him. James looked away and shrugged. "You know this guy?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yes I'm sure. Look I already told you, I was in prison with a lot of guys. You expect me to know all of them?"

"No just the ones that we can link to you by a sample of your DNA." Warrick said triumphantly.

"So what? What does that prove?"

"It proves Mr Matthews, that you killed these men. We found a gun at your house. The bullets match those used to kill all these victims. Your DNA was in one of their cars." He was silent.

"So what is it Mr Matthews, you formed an alliance in prison, then when you were out of the joint you got these guys to do your dirty work for you and when you were done with them, you just shoot them and dump the bodies? Is that right Mr Matthews?" Brass demanded. He was silent again for a moment, looking at the three men who were interrogating him. He knew they had him; there was no getting out of this. He sighed.

"You know what, you lot should be grateful. I took these guys off the streets…"

"They were committing crimes because of you."

"You must be stupid. You think they wouldn't have done it without me? They would have been robbing backs, holing up jewellery stores and breaking into old ladies houses without my help."

"So you're admitting you were involved, that you had an organised group of criminals…"

"Yes, yes I'm admitting it ok."

"Are you confessing to the murder of all these men?" Brass continued. There was a moment's pause as all the men eyed each other cautiously.

"I want a lawyer."

"You think a lawyer is going to do you any good now?"

"I said I want a lawyer." He said, more forcefully this time, his eyes narrowing at the prospect of not having his request granted.

"Ok Mr Matthews. It is your right to have a lawyer here, but you already know that right." Nick sighed.

"Your not making this any easier on yourself you know that buddy." Brass said, scraping back his chair and standing up. Warrick and Nick followed suit and the of them left the room, all disappointed that this was dragging on for longer than they had anticipated.

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When they returned it was with a lawyer in toe and a new revelation with regards to their case.

"So then Mr. Matthews, it seems that some of your friends have continued with your good work despite your absence." The defendant only shrugged, as though the news of no interest to him. "But you see this time," Brass continued leaning over the table. "One of them has ended up dead without your help." He received another nonchalant shrug. "So has a young woman who was in the bank at the time of the robbery." There was a slight change in the man's hardened expression at this point. It could not be described as one of regret or sadness upon hearing this news, although an element of that was there, it was more of disappointment that all was not going to plan. "He four year old son is in hospital."

"Well what are you looking at me for? I was here with you. I didn't pull the trigger."

"No you didn't." Nick said simply. "But your little buddies didn't keep so quiet this time." His expression was now one of confusion. "We have them in the other room. They've told us what was going on. 'No one was supposed to get hurt' they said."

"Look, I didn't kill that woman."

"No you didn't. But you killed all the others."

"And you put the gun in the hands of they guy who did killed Miss Singer." Warrick added. "That was her name by the way, the woman from the bank. Single mother. Her husband was killed in Iraq last year."

"What, and you want to blame me for that too?" A look of utter disgust fell over everyone's faces as the lawyer lent over to his client and spoke quietly in his ear.

"I suggest you start talking."

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When the shift was over, the team gathered in the diner for breakfast, all eager to relax after what had been a hectic few days.

"You enjoy that Sara?" Nick chuckled as she finished the last of her pancakes. She flashed him smile as she placed her cutlery neatly down on her plate.

"Yes thank you Nick. I think I'm still making the most actually being able to eat again!" He chuckled, leaning across the table to give her hand a quick squeeze.

"I'm glad your feeling better."

"Yeah me too." She smiled. "And now this whole case is cleared up I feel like things can get back to normal."

"Not until the end of the week they can't." Grissom smirked over the top of his coffee mug. She glared at him and gently kicked him under the table. "Doctors orders." He added defensively.

"Well," Catherine said, raising her own mug above the centre of the table and inviting the rest of the team to join her. "To good health." She toasted.

"Good friends and good health." Sara added with a smile.

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THE END


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